Samsung’s “super” ad for SF “50 minus 1ers;” GoPro goes to XLVII

Samsung Mobile has posted this funny ad starring Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd that pokes fun at the NFL’s strict marketing rules around commercials tied to Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.

Of course, the NFL is trying to protect its profits, so ads can’t mention the trademarked phrase “Super Bowl” or the individual team names without paying. So comics Rogen and Rudd have to navigate their way around those rules by stopping at “super” and calling San Francisco’s team the “50 minus 1ers.”

Speaking of commercials, our story earlier this week on how Super Bowl advertisers have already kicked off mentioned there won’t be any local tech companies with in-game spots. It turns out there is one Bay Area tech firm that is, sort of, on the roster of Super Bowl commercials.

GoPro, the fast-growing San Mateo company that makes cameras you can wear while skydiving or skiing, bought a 30-second spot that will air during the game in a just five TV markets – San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Salt Lake City. The spot will air before the game in Sacramento, Los Angeles and New York and at kickoff time in Denver.

These types of regional ad buys are generally cheaper than the $3.8 million or more that national advertisers paid for 30-second spots, but they don’t get the same exposure to all of the Super Bowl’s vast audience.

The ad promotes the use of the GoPro Hero 3 by families, using footage provided by one fan of an 8-month-old boy named Charlie.